lajna ijtema 2006

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In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

The following is a summary of the Concluding Address that Hazrat Khalifatul

Masih V (atba) delivered to the Lajna Annual Ijtema, UK on 19th

November,2006.

After the recitation of the Surah Al-Fatiha, Huzoor said, Today you are

gathered here to participate in the Annual Ijtema, of which it is the last day.The purpose of these Ijtemas is to enable members to benefit from the

educational and spiritual programs and speeches and to rid themselves of anyshortcomings they may have. Also, the younger and older girls may

participate in various educational competitions to improve their knowledgeand sharpen their spiritual capabilities. These gatherings provide an

atmosphere that promotes discussion and identification of ways and means ofself improvement. Any society, whose young girls and ladies gather in oneplace with the intention of spending their time in a purely spiritual

atmosphere and engage in activities for self improvement, the futuregenerations of that society are safeguarded, also it does not suffer from a

decline. And, today, if there are any women who get together purely for thesake of Allah, they are Ahmadi women. Therefore, always keep your status in

mind. Make the most of the spiritual food that you have enjoyed in thisgathering for your life depends on it. The life of your future generations

depends on it. The life and honor of your families depends on it.

Huzoor said, You should never be so selfish that you care only about yourself, care only about your own needs, care only about your own feelings. You

should also care for others. You should be ready to offer sacrifices to fulfillthe needs of others. You should be sensitive about others feelings. You shouldnot think only about your own honor. You should always be mindful of the

honor of your family and the Jamaat. We should also keep in mind at alltimes, that my God is All Seeing. He watches me every moment of time. My

God is All Knowing who knows my deepest thoughts. He is aware of all my

secrets. I can not hide anything from Him. Being aware of this when Youproclaim that you are an Ahmadi woman then you should pay attention tothose commandments that Allah has conveyed to us through His beloved, the

Holy Prophet (saw). If you sometime forget some of those commandmentsand are reminded of them from time to time, then you should deal with them

in a manner befitting a pious person. In the Holy Quran, Allah says aboutsuch people, And those who, when they are reminded of the Signs of their


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Lord, fall not down thereat deaf and blind; (25:74). Surely, an Ahmadi

woman in whose heart the seed of spirituality has been sown that keeps her in

the fold of Ahmadiyyat, who is a picture of faithfulness, who knows aboutoffering sacrifices for the sake of her faith, who is deeply in love with

Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya, when she is admonished, she does not treat it like thedeaf and the blind. If she is a true Ahmadi, it is expected that like all true

Ahmadies she will try her utmost to act upon the advice she is given.

Huzoor said, True Ahmadis should always be inclined to act upon the advicethat is given them in accordance with the commandments of Allah and His

Prophet (saw). This is the mark of a true believer. You have taken an oath.Always keep it in mind. When the Holy Prophet (saw) took an oath of Bait

from the women, there were extra conditions in it compared to the oath ofBait taken from men. These extra conditions are described in the Holy Quran.

One of them is to refrain from associating partners with Allah. Another is tostay away from evil and indecencies. Another is to pay attention to goodupbringing and training of the children. And then Allah says, nor disobey

thee in what is right (60:13). Allah is not compelling us to do anything.

However, if you have chosen to become a Muslim then you have to obey the

conditions that are necessary to come into the fold of Islam. Hazrat MasihMaud (as) also gave the same advice when he used to take an oath of Bait

from the women.

Huzoor said, It has become more frequent recently, under the influence ofthe society today, that some people begin to think that they are free. You

should remember that you are free, but only to a certain extent. As far as thepractice of your religion is concerned, you are not free. If you include

yourself in the Jamaat then you are, under all circumstances, bound by thoseconditions that are necessary for an Ahmadi. We see that, in the early days ofIslam, when the women took an oath of Bait, the society at that time was

totally free of any kind of rules and regulations. It was more corrupt thantodays society. It was lacking in education. There were only a handful of

moderately literate people. There was no concept of the existence of God.

They were only familiar with the idols that they worshiped. They were notaware of the All Seeing, All Knowing God. When those women took an oathof Bait, they brought about a total transformation in their lives. When a

woman stepped out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of Islam, shebecame the source of knowledge that many benefited from. She taught many

a noted companions intricate matters of the religion while staying within theboundaries of Purdah. She acquired this certificate from the Holy Prophet


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(saw) that you can acquire half of your religious knowledge from HazratAisha (ra).

Huzoor said, It was a woman who set an excellent example even on the

battlefield when she was able to, all alone and remaining within the bounds ofPurdah, get her brother freed from the Roman camp. History remembers her

by the name of Hazrat Khaola (ra). When Medina came under attack and themen were defending it by digging the ditch on one side, the women took

charge of guarding the homes. And when the Jews sent a man to spy and findout if they could attack Medina from the rear, it was not a man who

confronted him. Rather a woman who fought the spy and wounded him anddrove him away. In the battle of Uhad, when the Muslims began to retreat, it

was the women who set a shining example in the love of the religion and ofthe Holy Prophet (saw). Those women acquired this strength, courage,

fidelity, and the knowledge by following the teachings of Islam and makingthem a part of their lives. So always remember that if you willunconditionally adopt the teachings of your religion, will try to obey Allahs

commandments, will pay attention to the worship of Allah, then you too willbe endowed with the love and sincerity for the religion. It will also free you

from all kinds of complexes. Otherwise you will find yourselves drowning inthe material pursuits like other worldly people. So, like the women of the

Holy Prophets (saw) era transformed themselves and totally submittedthemselves to God, became believing women, became obedient women,

always turning to God, and devout in worship. If you want to reach the sameheights, then treading in their footsteps, you must follow the teachings of

Islam. If you do not do this then you can not call yourselves Muslims. If youdo not strengthen your faith and do not save yourselves from the evils of this

society then you can not call yourselves believing women. If you do not sethigh standards of obedience then you can not call yourselves obedientwomen. If you do not pay attention to repentance and worship then you are

not the one who are always turning to God or devout in worship.

Huzoor said, Examine yourselves and determine whether your actions match

your claims. You must assess yourselves. Always keep in mind the purposefor which mankind has been created. Your goal should be to win the pleasureof God. You must set yourselves higher goals that you have to achieve.

Determine lofty standards to which you have to march. When you have loftystandards in your sights, you will make the extra effort to reach them.

Mothers should assess themselves and daughters should assess themselves.This way you can reform yourselves and safeguard your future generations as


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well by better training of your children. Today, Islam is under attack from alldirections. It is essential that, in order to defend Islam, every Ahmadi girl and

every Ahmadi woman should jump into the field of action just as the womenof the first era of Islam did. Otherwise you will be held accountable for not

performing the task that you were entrusted with. You will be questioned thatyour actions did not match your claims.

Huzoor said, With reference to women, the attacks that are being levied

against Islam these days relate to the issue of Purdah, or wearing of the veilor a scarf. Men can present countless explanations and justifications in

support of the institution of Purdah in Islam. However, if anyone can answerthis attack, it is a practicing and a God fearing Ahmadi woman who can

demonstrate the proper answer. Therefore, instead of becoming the victim ofany complex, like a brave Ahmadi Muslim woman, with your practice and

with your arguments, convey this message to your friends and in your societythat this Quranic teaching is to safeguard your chastity. It is there to restoreyour lost honor. It is not an imprisonment.

Huzoor said, Look at these people who, on the one hand attack Islam that

there is compulsion and hardship in it, while on the other side they are guiltyof interfering in others personal matters. Why does it bother them if a woman

wants to wear a scarf or a veil? A majority of Muslim women, due to the lackof practice among those who have not accepted Hazrat Masih Maud (as), do

not observe Purdah. There is no punishment for them in Islam. There is noworldly law that punishes them for this lapse. However, what right do the

followers of other religions have to draft such laws that forbid those who wishto practice their religion and observe the Purdah by wearing a scarf or a veil.

Tomorrow these people might say that the dress is not proper and they shouldnot wear the shalwar (long baggy pants). Instead they should only wearfrocks, or jeans, or skirts. Later they might demand that the women should

wear short pants or skirts or even bear themselves. They have no right to playwith your honor in this manner. It is you who have to answer these people and

tell them that they have no right to interfere in others personal matters.

Someone needs to inform them that they are, in fact, depriving others of theirfreedom of choice. The way someone dresses is a matter of personal choice.Why are they trying to dictate the dress code that must be followed. Only

because they are in power, they think that they are being very wise while, infact their actions are extremely foolish and unwise.


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Huzoor said, An Ahmadi woman has to establish her honor and has to beprepared to answer all such attacks. Some women, even though they call

themselves Ahmadi, fall victim to some type of a complex. One such womanis reported to have said that if her daughter does not cover her head or wears

jeans or other such dress then she should not be admonished, she is verydecent. Why is she decent? Because she does not have any boyfriends. She is

free and knows her right from wrong. Huzoor said, This is a case ofimproper training of your children. If the girl does not have a boyfriend today,

tomorrow she may have one. If she is not doing anything wrong today,tomorrow, taking advantage of this freedom, she may take improper steps. If

she is free today, she knows her right from wrong, she is free to act upon orignore a Quranic commandment, then know that the Jamaat is also free. The

Khalifa of the time is also free and has the absolute right that he shouldexcommunicate such people from the Jamaat who will not obey the teachings

of the Holy Quran. If you join any worldly organization, it has some rules andregulations. If you do not follow those rules, your membership is terminated.The religion is a matter relating to God. It is a bond with God. It is an oath of

Bait with God. If your actions are contrary to Gods clear guidance, if yourefuse to act according to His teachings, then know that if you or your

daughter has the right not to observe Purdah then, by the same token, I alsohave the right that I should excommunicate such disobedient people from the

Jamaat. I will be doing this according to Allahs commandments therefore noone should complain about such actions.

Huzoor said, Let me impress upon the Jamaat administration that as a first

step they should determine that there should be no woman office bearer whodoes not observe Purdah. If they do not find any women in a particular

chapter who are fully observant, then attach that chapter with another nearbychapter or assign the offices to those who are observant even though they maybe less knowledgeable. In case there is no one in a chapter who is observant

and there is no other chapter nearby, then disband that chapter altogether. Ihope that, by the Grace of Allah, this extreme situation will not be found any

where. By the Grace of Allah, there are many pious women in the Jamaat

who vie with each other in good deeds. If not in older women, I see manyamong the younger women who are free of hypocrisy. Some have beeninfluenced by their family circumstances but a large number are such who are

treading the right path more so than their elders. They try to cover their headsand maintain their modesty.


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Huzoor said, In an MTA program that was being recorded recently, I heard ayoung lady who is a teacher say that she will cover her head in the school also

because she did not want to teach the children that she is a hypocrite or thatshe has a double standard in that outside the children can see her wearing a

scarf. They can ask her why she does not wear one in the school and cover herhead in the school. In any case, Purdah is an Islamic injunction. Part of the

discussion in that MTA program was that in an elementary school where thereare only very young children is it necessary to cover your head. Huzoor said,

There is no harm in that case but it is possible that there were older childrenin the school where this young lady was a teacher. In any case, Purdah is an

Islamic injunction and a distinctive mark of an Ahmadi woman. It bestowshonor to an Ahmadi woman. Remember that along with the scarf, the

remainder of dress should be loose fitting. Allahs commandment is that yourbeauty should not be revealed. Some non-Ahmadi girls can be seen wearing a

scarf in reaction to this prohibition on the wearing of a scarf, but they arewearing tight jeans and blouses. Such Purdah is of no value. It is totalhypocrisy. Purdah should be such that is truly Purdah and is befitting your

honorable status.

Huzoor said, I have come to find out that at a gathering of some women, anoffice bearer said that we should relax the Purdah in the light of todays

circumstances, we should not be so strict. Huzoor said, O.K. you can useyour right to relax and I will use my right. It can not be that you keep on using

your rights and tell me that I should not use my rights. I have to, under allcircumstances and by the Grace of Allah, enforce compliance with Allahs

commandments that He has taught us through the Holy Quran. Otherwise, as Ihave stated, the door is open. Whoever wants to leave is free to go. I do not

understand the reason behind this complex. There are local British ladies whohave joined the fold of Ahmadiyyat. Also, there are those in the rest ofEurope. Some of them are young girls. They have started to wear scarves,

they have started to cover their heads, and there are some among you whohave fallen prey to inferiority complex. Only yesterday, I met an English girl

who became an Ahmadi a few days ago. She had never worn a scarf or a veil

before but she was covering her head very well. These people are acceptingthese beautiful teachings and practicing them and some of our ladies arevictims of inferiority complex. What can we other than Surely, to Allah we

belong and to Him shall we return (2:157).

Huzoor said, If any one thinks that if the Jamaat will go into a decline dueto this strictness, that people will begin to go away from the Jamaat, they


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should know that the Jamaat WILL NOT go into a decline. If all suchwomen should leave, Allah has promised that He will bring forth new nations

that will join the fold of Ahmadiyyat. The British women who have joined theJamaat are very sincere and in the future also you will see the showers of

love raining down from among them. They will love Islam and its teachings.There are many others sitting here in front of me like the lady I met yesterday.

They accepted Ahmadiyyat and have made rapid progress in Ahmadiyyat.Your Lajna President here is not a Pakistani. She has no complex. She

observes Purdah. As I have stated earlier about the lady, who is an officebearer also, wants the Purdah to be relaxed. The truth of the matter is that

she wants to raise an objection against me that I am strict about Purdah.These type of people show their hypocrisy by their disguised objections.

Huzoor said, Pull yourselves together, and I say to these new Ahmadis who

are coming from the local population that if these born Ahmadi women do notwant to live by the Islamic teachings then do not follow them. You shouldmarch forward and become an example for them. You should step forward

and spread the beauty of Islam and Ahmadiyyat in your surroundings.

Huzoor said, Purdah and modesty has been taught by all religions. At thetime of Moses, we read in the Holy Quran about two women who were

standing to one side and not watering their heard. They were doing so due tomodesty that they will water their heard when the men have finished doing so

and departed. Modesty is part of the faith. This is what we have been taught.In the early days, the Christian women used to observe Purdah. They used to

wear modest clothes. Many places in the Bible contain this teaching aboutPurdah. If the Christians are not observing the Purdah today and you are

being influenced by them then know that they have abandoned their religion.If they cared about their religion they would be practicing it. They would ridthemselves of many evils that are prevailing in their society. For the

satisfaction of those who are suffering from any type of complex, I will giveyou some references from the Bible. Maybe you might have heard them

before.

Huzoor said, It is written in the Bible, Women must not wear mensclothing nor a man wear womens clothing for the Lord your God detests

anyone who does this (Deuteronomy 22:5). Again, it is written in the Bible,Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman that feareth the Lord

she shall be praised (Proverb 31:30). Again it is written in the Bible, I alsowant women to dress modestly, with decency, in propriety, not with braided


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hair, or gold, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good deedsappropriate for women who profess to worship God (1 Timothy 2:9 -10).

Again, it is written in the Bible, Any man who prays or prophesizes withsomething on his head disgraces his head but if any woman who prays or

prophesizes with her head unveiled disgraces her head. It is one and thesame thing as having her head shaved. For if a woman will not veil herself

then she should cut off her hair. But, if it is disgraceful for a woman tohave her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. For a man

ought not to have his head veiled since he is the image and reflection ofGod but the woman is a reflection of man (1 Corinthians 11:4 -7). These

people raise an objection against Islam. On a side note it is evident that thesepeople consider the man to be superior than a woman. This is a side note that

we can not discuss here.

Huzoor said, After seeing all this you should be strengthened that you arepracticing the beautiful teachings of Islam and have a relationship with aliving God. Whereas this western society is bankrupt as far as religion is

concerned. They have forgotten their religious teachings. So you should tellthem that instead of writing against us, passing laws against us, making

statements against us, they should worry about themselves. Instead of baringour head that we cover of our own volition, they should cover the heads of

their women according to their religious teachings. I say it again that insteadof demanding a relaxation in Purdah, you should rid yourselves of your

inferiority complexes and practice the teachings bestowed upon us by Allah.

Huzoor said, Allah has commanded both men and women to avoid sin. Manhas been instructed, before the woman, to cast his eyes down. Then the

woman has been instructed to do the same. The man is relatively more daringas compared to woman therefore, while the instruction to cast down the eyesand guard the private parts is for both man and woman, woman has been

instructed that, due to the nature of man, it is in her interest to cover herbeauty so that she may be saved from the evil glances of the man. Some

people object that the previous Caliphs were not so strict about Purdah so I

am going to present some excerpts of theirs for your satisfaction.Huzoor said, Hazrat Masih Maud (as) says that people are insisting on

relaxation of Purdah and follow Europe but this is not at all appropriate.This freedom of women is the root cause of evil and disobedience. Just

ponder over the moral condition of those countries where this kind of freedomis tolerated. If you see a rise in the level of their purity and chastity as a result


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of this freedom, then we will accept that we are wrong. However, it is clearthat when man and woman have reached their full strength and there is

freedom of association, how dangerous their relationships will be. Castingevil glances and being overcome by carnal desires is in mans nature. Then if

despite Purdah some succumb to evil deeds and become disobedient, onecan imagine what can happen where freedom prevails. Hazrat Khalifatul-

Masih 2nd

(ra) has stated in this regard that the Purdah according to theShariah, that is proven from the Holy Quran, is that a womans hair, neck, and

face up to the front of her ears should be covered. This instruction can beadopted in different countries according to the local dress and circumstances.

He stated that all parts of the body except the hands are included in thePurdah. Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih 3

rd(ra) has stated, during an address to the

Norway Lajna, I ask those women who feel that it is not necessary toobserve Purdah that what favor have they done to Islam by abandoning the

Purdah? Today some seek permission to do away with Purdah. Tomorrowthey will seek permission to skinny dip in the sea and to lay bare on thebeaches. Later they will seek permission to bear children out of wedlock. I

will tell them that they should be prepared to feel the fire of Hell. They shouldmend their ways before Gods wrath overtakes them.

Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih 4

th(ra) said, I felt that Purdah is disappearing

from many places in the world as if it never existed and people do not realizewhat horrible consequences they are facing as a result of this. Parents are

driving their generation towards hell fire due to their carelessness and there isno one who cares for them. This situation is rapidly deteriorating throughout

the world. It occurred to me that if Ahmadies do not immediately stand up indefense of Islam then the situation will reach a point from which there is no

return. Again he said, There are those women who have to venture outsideto work but they go out with full makeup. What has makeup to do with theperformance of your duties? Again he said, Women think that in this

society, where Purdah is being discarded, if they meet their friends withtheir veils or scarves, their friends will call them backwards, foolish, or mad

and say that this age is beyond Purdah. And this also troubles the men. They

forget that dignity and respect for others comes from ones own character andthe dress has no value in the worldly honor. A person with moral character isgiven respect. We should learn to respect ourselves first. Again he said, The

girls being brought up in this country (England) are confused about the hairon their head. They think that covering your head is a backward thing to do.

Therefore, they take a step towards Allah half heartedly and not happily. Theyare, in fact, saying that, O God accept us as we are. We are wearing a scarf


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but in a manner that is similar to a Jew who is covering a very small portionof his head with a small flat cap. So please accept this incomplete step that we

have taken towards you. If you do everything for the sake of Allah then this isentirely inappropriate. Remember that the most beautiful part of a womans

features is her hair, specially, when they are hanging in front of her face. Ihave noticed some girls that when they put their scarves on they do so in a

manner that causes their hair to dangle in front of their faces. You should askyourself, do I care more for my Lord, or for other people?

Huzoor said, These were the statements made by the previous Caliphs.

Those people who think that so and so Caliph did not say this but the otherCaliph is saying this should remember that they are, without knowledge,

slandering the Caliphs that, God forbid, they did not want to enforce the basiccommandments of Allah. I have read before you the statements of all the

previous Caliphs so that you may cleanse your minds of thismisunderstanding. Secondly, it is possible that different Caliphs have stressedon different things according to the needs of the time. Therefore to say that

because a previous Caliph said a certain thing in a certain manner and that Ishould also do the same is tantamount to tying my hands and is disrespectful

of the Khilafat. This shows that you took the oath of Bait only because youwere forced to do so due to pressure of people around you, or your parents, or

your husband, or your children. It was not your whole hearted decision. If itwas the case then the promise to obey all rightful decision will be in your

minds and you will never question any decision. Let me make it clear againthat if you want to stay attached to the Jamaat of Hazrat Masih Maud (as)

(only the handful of people are addressed here who indulge in this kind of talknot all of you are addressed) then you must obey the clear commandments of

the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (saw). Then as Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih4

th(ra) had said that duplicity will not work. You should fear either your Lord

or the people. So today, it behooves every Ahmadi woman that instead of

being afraid of the people while the seeds of hatred for Islam are being sownin the world, while Islam is under attack from all sides, you should cry out

loud and proclaim throughout the world that no matter how many hurdles it

may place in our paths it can not wipe away these beautiful teachings fromour faces, from our hearts, or from our actions. And just because they areturning away from their religion and are running towards their ruin at an ever

increasing pace, let them know that we are not prepared to follow them to thishell. Instead, we pray that may God save mankind from the dire consequences

of its evil deeds. Come and join us and by obeying the commands of Allah tryto win His pleasure. This is what will make you content and safeguard your


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future generations. I am hopeful that every decent Ahmadi woman who haseven the slightest doubt about any of Allahs commands will rid herself of itand will become one who is truly resigned, believing, obedient, alwaysturning to God, devout in worship (66:6). May Allah make it so. Aameen.

lajna ijtema 2006

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